Carpet lift and loading assembly

ABSTRACT

A carpet lifting and loading assembly comprises a track supported by two sections. One section is movable on the track relative to the other. A cable lifting means is mounted on the fixed section and track of the assembly. Means are mounted on the movable section that cooperates with the cable lifting means to prevent the movable section from moving to a position on the track that would render the assembly unstable when a load is attached and supported by the cable lifting means.

Sept. 4, 1973 United StateS Patent 1 Rende lman {54] CARPET LIFT ANDLOADING ASSEMBLY 3,520,514 7/1970 212/13 X [76] Inventor: Thomas G.Rendelman, 337 S.

Stevenson, ()l h K 660 1 Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Mar. 1972Assistant Examiner--R. B. Johnson Att0rney-William B. Kircher et al.

[22] Filed:

Appl. No.: 238,445

ABSTRACT [52] U.S. 254/4 R, 212/13, 254/144,

A carpet lifting and loading assembly comprises a track 254/4 R B60p1/14, B60p 11/22 supported by two sections. One section is movable on214/390 396 the track relative to the other. A cable lifting means ismounted on the fixed section and track of the assem- 254/4 4 4 C5144;212/13 14 bly. Means are mounted on the movable section that cooperateswith the cable lifting means to prevent the [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS movable section from moving to a position on the trackthat would render the assembly unstable when a load is attached andsupported by the cable lifting means.

Smith et 214/396 7 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures a u .4. Z m 9 o. l P w u n0 a 3 9 m n u u n n u n u u u a a u lilll I|l||| 1||lllli l fi/ IMllllll l-luM-llllll fldvlllllldllJrPlrlmvll u mi, J 3 n u n u 0 T n a. aI lllllu 2M 7 a t w M CARPET LIFT AND LOADING ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND ANDBRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION I Prior art techniques for handlinglarge carpet rolls or other heavy cylindrical objects often included aplurality of A-frame type supporting structures with various means forchanging the elevation of the A-frame supports to accommodate difficultterrain or for loading purposes. In any event, the ability to extend thecarpet roll or cylindrical object forward of the forward end support wasmarkedly limited and often dangerous when supporting heavy loads. Thisalmost precluded the use of such a device in loading or unloading truckor flat car beds and in the utilization of the lift and loading assemblyto appropriately stack or otherwise locate the cylindrical objects oncelifting of same has been accomplished.

The subject invention which has been briefly described in the aboveabstract includes a unique trolley construction in conjunction with atrolley stop brake that permits the positioning of the movable endsection at any location along the length of the H-beam. Moreparticularly, two stops are secured opposite each other on the I-l-beamtrack structure at the balance point or substantially halfway along thebeam. A brake structure is attached to the trolley and will be lightlypositioned in contact with the I-I-beam by a pair of spring members sothat the trolley will ordinarily stop by the brake structure contactingthe stops at a halfway point. These beam balance or halfway stops can bepassed only if weight is removed from the forward cable of the liftassembly. When weight (the carpet roll) is taken off of the forwardcable, the brake can be moved in a direction to bypass the safety stops.A pivotal tubular cable holder is located adjacent the brake, so thatweight on the forward cable and the cable holder will not permit thebrake to be moved downwardly and the stops to be bypassed. Thisstructure insures that the entire lift assembly will not inadvertentlytip over when the lift assembly is in operation.

An object of the invention is to provide a uniquely constructed liftassembly which is easily used and economically constructed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a uniquely constructedlift assembly of the character described which enables any singleindividual to load, unload, or stack trucks, vans, and flat bed open andclosed vehicles of all types with heavy cylindrical objects such aslarge carpet rolls. It is a feature of the object that a significantamount of labor and effort may be saved as well as decreasing the timethat a loaded vehicle is normally tiedup in the loading or unloadingprocesses.

A further object of the invention is to provide a uniquely constructedlift assembly having a combined trolley and brake that operates in acooperating fashion to preclude inadvertent tipping or overloading ofthe forward end of the lift assembly during the operation of same.

Still further object of the invention is to provide a uniquelyconstructed trolley and brake structure of the character described whichstructurally supports a roller mounted end section for fore and aftmovement on a horizontal H-beam. It is a feature of this invention thatthe brake operates to preclude end section movement past the balancepoint of the lift assembly with weight on the lift assembly cables.

Another 'object of the invention is to provide a uniquelyconstructedbrake structure that enables a movable end section of a lift assembly tobe locked at any location along a track structure with respect to afixed end section thereof.

Other and further objects of the invention, together with the featuresof novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of thefollowing description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 is a side elevational viewof the lift assembly with the broken lines showing a carpet rollhorizontally elevated and the movable forward end section of the liftassembly moved toward the stationary or fixed end section;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top elevational view looking substantially alongthe line 2-2 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows and showing theupper portion of the trolley and the brake assembly;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2in the direction of the arrows and showing the H-beam brake and trolleystructure along with portions of the movable end section frame;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the trolley rollers indicating thelocation of the roller shafts with respect to the I-I-beam track andwith the trolley structure removed to more clearly indicate same;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view taken from the forward or movable endof lift assembly with the caster rollers not shown;

FIG. 6 is a side view taken generally along the line 6-6 of FIG. 3 inthe direction of the arrows with a portion of the trolley side wallbroken away to disclose the brake and balance point stop bypassmechanism associated with the trolley;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 however showing the brake structuremoved downwardly with no weight on the forward lift cable lengthpermitting the movable end section to bypass the balance point of thelift assembly;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 8-8 of FIG. 1in the direction of the arrows showing the two pulleys located adjacentthe fixed or stationary end frame section;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken generally along the lines 9-9 of FIG. 1in the direction of the arrows showing ,a rear elevational view of oneof the tandemly'arranged forward pulleys;

FIG. 10 is a view taken generally along the line 10-10 of FIG. 9 in thedirection of the arrows showing the forward pulleys in elevation; and

FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view taken generally along line 11-11 ofFIG. 6 in the direction of the arrows showing the pivotal cable holderwhich renders the stop bypass action of the trolley and brake structureineffective when the cable has weight applied thereto.

Turning now to the drawings, reference numeral 10 represents the fixedor stationary end section while reference numeral 1 1 is used to depictthe movable or forward end section. The construction of the end sectionsare substantially similar with the exception of the location of a boatwinch on the fixed end section 10 and the trolley and carpet supportrollers located on a movable end section 11. Both of the end sectionmodifications will be discussed in detail, infra.

The two sections are comprised of rectangular sectioned steelstructurals generally indicated as the two vertical legs 12 on each ofthe end sections with caster rollers 13 being swivel-mounted in aconventional manner on each one of the vertical legs. These casterrollers or wheels will be provided with a suitable conventional lockingor braking means and will include an upper wheel 13a which may contactwalls or other vertical structures for protective purposes. The upperportions of both end sections and 11 will include the horizontalstructural l4 welded across the end extremities of each pair of legs 12.Also, a structural 15 which will span the two vertical legs of the fixedend section at a lower level but operates to provide a weldmentattachment for the trolley structure on the forward end section 11 aswill be described. In both cases, structural braces 16 extend from theinside surfaces of the vertical legs 12 and are angled to contact andsupport the horizontal structural 15.

A horizontal H-beam 17 will be bolted to the midpoint of the horizontalstructurals l4 and 15 of fixed end section 10. This I-Lbeam is sooriented that the lower side of the I-I-shape forms a track structurefor the trolley which interconnects the movable end section 11 with thel-I-beam 17. The trolley structure, generally designated by the numeral18, provides the vertical side walls 18a and 18b which weldedly connectwith the upper horizontal structural 14 at their upper end surfaces andflushly contact the inside end portions of the shorter and lowerhorizontal structurals 15a and 15b respectively to thereby complete theinner span between vertical legs 12 of the forward end section and tofixedly locate the upper center portion of forward end section 12 andtrolley on the I-I-beam track 17 for fore and aft movement with respectthereto.

Returning now to the combined construction of the two end sections andthe horizontal I-I-beam track 17, the above mentioned boat winch isgenerally shown by the numeral 20 and is of a conventional designmounted by brackets 21 on the horizontal structural member 22 whichspans to legs 12 of the rear or fixed end section 10. The winch isprovided with two separated reels 23 and 24 with the cable lengths 23aand 24a wound respectively thereon. The winch, is suggested, is operatedby the crank member 24d and has the usual locks and releases forcontrolling the playing out or reeling in of the cable lengths 23a and24a.

A pair of pulleys 23b and 24b (which are rated above the cable strength)are located on either side of the H- beam track 17 adjacent thestationary end section 12 and operate to receive the cable lengths 23aand 24a respectively therein. This construction permits the cable length230 to extend from the reel 23 up through a suitable slot (not shown) inthe lower side of the H- beam 17 and over the pulley 23b and from thencedown through the slot again to terminate in a sling 230 of aconventional design which will engage the center rod support (30a) forthe carpet roll 30. The cable length 24a does not extend down throughthe same slot as cable length 230 but rather extends along the length ofthe H-beam track 17 (see FIG. 8) and is finally engaged over therearmost forward pulley 25a located near the forward end portion ofH-beam track 17. Actually, a second pulley 25b is also provided and istandemly spaced forward of pulley 25a so that the cable link 24a mayoperatively contact the lower right hand quadrant of pulley 25b toaccommodate the forward extension of a large carpet roll. As shown inFIG. 10, the slot 26 will permit the outer periphery of both pulleys 25aand 25b to extend therethrough and to permit the cable length 240 toextend downwardly after engagement with either or both of the tandempulleys 25a and 25b.

The lower end portion of the cable 24a is equipped with sling 24c(similar to 230) thereby enabling supporting rod 30a through the carpetroll 30 to be engaged in the same horizontal plane as the cable length230 engages the rearwardmost end thereof. Accordingly, the normaloperation of the conventional boat winch raises and lowers the carpetroll 30 supported between the two cable end slings (23c and 24c) therebyenabling a single operator to raise, lower, move, stack or unload thevery heavy and cumbersome rolls.

As will be seen with respect to the discussion of the trolley 18, thelift assembly may be used for loading and unloading panel trucks, pickuptrucks-or flatbed carriers either enclosed or open. To facilitate thisarrangement, a structural 27 mounted on brackets 27a spans the legs 12of the forward end section 11. This structural (27) supports two otherangle brackets 28 with roller shaft 28a located therebetween. Rollerwheels 29 are mounted for rotation on shaft 28 and are a little higherthan the normal tailgate height of a pickup or panel truck. In thismanner, the carpet roll 30 (or other heavy elongated objects) may besupported by the roller wheels 29 when the movable front end section 1 lis moved to the broken line position (or any position between its fullyextended and rearwardmost location). This permits some of the supportingload to be lessened from the cables and associated pulleys.Alternatively, suitable means may be provided for raising and loweringwheels 29 for any desired elevation along the vertical length of legs 12of section 11.

With respect to the cable and trolley construction, horizontal roll pins31 (see FIGS. 8, 9 and 10) are fixedly located in the web of the Hbeamtrack immedi-' ately above the upper surface of each of the pulleys 23b,24b and 25a to preclude the respective cable lengths from inadvertentlyslipping out of the pulley groove. Further, since the trolley 18 ismovable in a fore and aft direction with respect to the I-I-beam track17, a stop 32 (see FIG. 2) with rubber bumper 32a is bolted to the uppersurface of II-beam track 17 by the bolts 32!: near the forward endextremity of the H- beam track. In this manner, the trolley is precludedfrom becoming disengaged from I-I-beam track 17 unless the forward stop32 is removed therefrom. For shipping purposes, it may sometimes bedesirable to remove the forward end section; however it is a simple taskto remove the bolts 32b and to reassemble same.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, balance point stops 33 are located atsubstantially the mid-length of I-I-beam track 17. These stops arewedge-shaped and are located on either side of the center H-bearn webwith a flat vertical surface 33a operable to contact a brake portion,infra, and to preclude a rearward movement of the trolley and movablefront end section. As will be seen, under certain conditions, thebalance point stops may be bypassed;

Turning now more particularly to the trolley and brake construction, thetrolley side walls have previously been identified by the numerals 18aand 18b. These walls rigidly are spaced apart by the presence of thewelded top plates 18c and 18d and by the bottom plate 18c (FIGS. 2 and3). The actual dimensions of the top and bottom plates are significantonly in that they rigidly and weldedly form a box-like structure havinga substantially rectangular cross section and which is extremely ruggedand durable. Actually, the top plate 18c may be thought of as being twoplates with the brake structure 34 located therebetween. Also, thebottom plate 18c will in no way interfere with or extend into acontacting relationship with the peripheral edge of the two forwardpulleys 25a and 25b during the operation thereof since upper plate 18dcontacts the rear edge of the forward stop 32. In this manner, therearwardly spaced location of the lower plate 18c eliminates anyinadvertent pulley contact.

As shown in FIGS. 2,3 and 4, the spaced apart trolley sides 18a and 18bact as supporting surfaces for roller shaft pairs 35, 36 and 37. Eachpair is comprised of two axially aligned shafts that do not extend fromplate to plate but terminate after the interconnection with a respectiveroller. For example, the shafts 36 as shown in FIG. 3 extend through thewalls 18a and 18b and are axially aligned. The shaft 36 extendingthrough wall 18b supports a roller 36a thereon while the other shaft 36extending through wall 18b supports the roller 36b thereon. Theserollers have an outside rim 38' which locate the inner cylindricalroller surfaces on the upper surface of the lower portion of theI-I-beam track in that the inside surface of the rims contact the trackedge and'will not permit the rollers to become skewed during the foreand aft movement of same. It should be pointed out that each of theshaft pairs (35, 36 and 37) have two roller wheels 35a, 35b; 36a, 36b;and 37a, 37b respectively, located thereon providing a total of sixroller surfaces within trolley 18 for movement on the upper surface ofthe lower horizontal I-I-beam track. Further, the axis of the rollershafts 36 lie in a horizontal plane slightly below a horizontal planethrough the axes of shafts 35 and 37. Off-setting the roller wheelsinthis fashion precludes the trolley from binding on the I-I-beam track asis potentially the case if all roller wheel shafts were in the samehorizontal plane.

Turning now more particularly to the brake structure, FIG. 3 disclosesthe front and rear shape of brake 34 and the method of mounting samewith respect to the side walls 18a and 18b of the trolley and the upperportion of the II-beam track. For example, counterbore type recesses 34aare located in brake 34 to matingly fit over the sidewalls 18a and 18bso as to permit limited up and down movement of the brake with respectto the trolley side walls. Further, the compression springs 38 bias thebrake structure 34 upwardly until the interior upper surfaces 39 (seeFIG. 3) of the brake structure contacts the lower surfaces of the upperportion of the inside of the H-beam track. It should be pointed out thatthe brake as seen from the side as in FIG. 3 would approximate the shapeof a squared off C that has been rotated 90 in a clockwise direction.With this in mind, it should then be understood that the web of theH-beam track is located mid-distance between the open portions' of the Cwhile the upper portion of the H-beam track occupies the space withinthe C shape. In this fashion, the legs of the C, having the uppersurfaces 39, are spring biased upwardly to engage the underside of theupper I-I-beam horizontal structure.

The forward cable 24a passes through a suitable aperture in the brake asshown in FIG. 3 as well as a pivotally mounted tube which will bediscussed later and the brake is movable up and down with respect to theH- beam by manipulating the adjustment screw 40. This externallythreaded screw may have any kind of convenient knurled top 40a and willextend through an internally threaded aperture at the mid-point of brake34 so that the end extremity thereof bears against the upper surface ofthe H-beam flange. Accordingly, when the adjustment screw 40 is rotatedin the opposite direction or loosened, the springs 38 force the brakesurfaces 39 up and against the undersurface of the upper portion of theI-I-bar beam. If screw 40 .is rotated to draw the brake tightly againstH-beam track 17, the end section 11 will be locked at a particularlocation on track 17.

As shown in FIGS. 3, .6, 7 and 11, the adjustable screw operates to movebrake 34 up and down with respect to the upper side of the H-beam track17. Accordingly, when the adjustable screw 40 is rotated to move brake34 downwardly in the space between the inside surfaces 39 of theC-shaped brake and the lower surface of the upper side of I-l-beam 17(340) to permit the trolley structure to bypass the wedge-shaped stops33 which are located on either side of the vertical web of the H-beam.In this manner, the trolley mounted movable end section 11 is permittedto move past the stops and be located at any location along the lengthof the I-I-beam 17. It should be pointed out that the ability toreciprocally move brake 34 in an up and down direction is restricted ifany weight is on the forward cable length 24a. If there is no weight onthe cable length the above described operation is permitted.

In the preferred embodiment, the vertical orientation (see FIGS. 6 and7) of brake 34 is such that it is angled approximately 2 with respect tothe vertical. In this manner, the adjustable screw 40 may be manipulatedto raise the surfaces 39 against the undersurface of the upper side ofH-beam track 17 thereby essentially locking the trolley at a preselectedposition along the length of the track. However, angled orientationpermits the upper edge of surfaces 39 to make the initial contact withthe undersurface of the upper side of track 17 thereby binding the brakeagainst the track in order to effect substantially more frictionalresistance to movement and thereby enhancing the locked condition. Ofcourse, the locked condition may be released by manipulating theadjustable screw in the opposite direction.

As suggested above, when weight is applied to cable length 24a thetension of the cable maintains brake 34 in a plane that precludes thebypassing of stops 33 by the inside brake surfaces 39. As a result, aloaded lift assembly will not permit the movable end section 11 to bemoved to the rear past the balance or halfway point thereby eliminatingany tendency of the entire assembly to tip over.

In order to assure that the cable tension is sufficient to preclude thedownward movement of brake 34 and the bypassing of stops 33, a pivottube 42 acts as a cable carrier immediately forward of brake 34. Thispivot tube is somewhat T-shaped (when viewed from above) and is attachedto sidewall 18b by shaft 43 which has a reduced diameter portion 43apivotally located within the wall 181;. If an operator of a loaded liftassembly having a taut cable length 24a attempts to manipulate theadjustable screw 40 in an effort to lower brake 34 and thereby bypassstops 33, the cable 24a.

must be kinked by the movement of the entire length of the pivotal tube.Quite obviously, the increased effort necessary to kink a taut steelcable at either end of the pivot tube 42 precludes the inadvertentbypassing of stops 33 and under certain conditions may be designed so asto completely eliminate any possibility of the manual operation of theadjustable screw to permit the above described bypassed condition.

In operation, the lift may be utilized to hoist and load heavy elongatedobjects of various shapes provided only that a suitable sling or objectengaging structure be located on the end portions of the cable length.The boat winch 20 is operated to raise or lower the elongated objectdepending on the particular job at hand. For example, once the winchcompletes the raising of the load, the movable end section 1 1 is easilymoved in a fore and aft direction on track 17 between its forwardmostposition and the balance point stops 33. In this manner, the forward endof the heavy load may be extended inside of a covered van or over thetop of various flat bed or carpet piles. If it is desired that unloadingbe accomplished, the movable end section may be moved to the broken lineposition shown in FIG. 1, the H-beam track and cable length insertedwithin the truck over the object load, the winch operated to play outsufficient cable to engage both fore and aft ends of the load and locksand releases set to finally permit the winch to be operated to raise theload off its stacked condition. The entire assembly may then be rolledaway from the truck, the movable end section optionally moved to itsforward position and the load carried to its unloading position. At thattime, the steps may be reversed to facilitate the stacking of the heavyload such as carpet roll in the most expeditions manner.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one welladapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forthtogether with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherentto the structure.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of theclaims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matterherein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A lift assembly having a track structure supported by at least afirst and a second end section, said assem- 8 bly comprising means formounting said second end section for movement with respect to saidtrack,

cable means supported on said track for attaching to a load and forraising and lowering said load with respect to said track, and means onsaid second end section cooperating with said movement mounting meansand said cable means for precluding said second end section -movement ina preselected direction on said track structure beyond a predeterminedlocation thereon when a load is attached and supported by ='said cablemeans.

2. The combination as in claim 1 including means for fixedly mountingsaid first end section with respect to said track.

3. The combination as in claim 2 wherein said movable second end sectionsupporting means includes a trolley mounted for movement on said track,said second end section being fixedly attached to said trolley therebypermitting said second end section movement on said track, said movementprecluding means including fixed stops located at a preselected positionon said track, said stops contacting a portion of said trolley andprecluding said second end section movement past said stops.

4. The combination as in claim 3 wherein said trolley includes a brakemounted for movement with respect to said trolley and relative to saidtrack, means for effecting the brake movement into contact with saidtrack to thereby fixedly locate trolley and said second end section onsaid track.

5. The combination as in claim 4 wherein said brake movement means movessaid brake to a first position that contacts said stops and precludestrolley movement past same, said brake movement means operable to movesaid brake to a second position that permits said brake and trolley tobypass said stop thereby permitting said second end section to movesubstantially along the entire length of said track.

6. The combination as in claim 5 wherein said cable means includes atleast one cable length, an aperture in said brake, said cable extendingthrough said aperture and operable to preclude brake movement to saidsecond position when a load is attached to said cable length.

7. The combination as in claim 6 including means for increasing theforce required to move said brake to said second position when a load isattached to said cable length.

i i k

1. A lift assembly having a track structure supported by at least afirst and a second end section, said assembly comprising means formounting said second end section for movement with respect to saidtrack, cable means supported on said track for attaching to a load andfor raising and lowering said load with respect to said track, and meanson said second end section cooperating with said movement mounting meansand said cable means for precluding said second end section movement ina preselected direction on said track structure beyond a predeterminedlocation thereon when a load is attached and supported by said cablemeans.
 2. The combination as in claim 1 including means for fixedlymounting said first end section with respect to said track.
 3. Thecombination as in claim 2 wherein said movable second end sectionsupporting means includes a trolley mounted for movement on said track,said second end section being fixedly attached to said trolley therebypermitting said second end section movement on said track, said movementprecluding means including fixed stops located at a preselected positionon said track, said stops contacting a portion of said trolley andprecluding said second end section movement past said stops.
 4. Thecombination as in claim 3 wherein said trolley includes a brake mountedfor movement with respect to said trolley and relative to said track,means for effecting the brake movement into contact with said track tothereby fixedly locate trolley and said second end section on saidtrack.
 5. The combination as in claim 4 wherein said brake movementmeans moves said brake to a first position that contacts said stops andprecludes trolley movement past same, said brake movement means operableto move said brake to a second position that permits said brake andtrolley to bypass said stop thereby permitting said second end sectionto move substantially along the entire length of said track.
 6. Thecombination as in claim 5 wherein said cable means includes at least onecable length, an aperture in said brake, said cable extending throughsaid aperture and operable to preclude brake movement to said secondposition when a load is attached to said cable length.
 7. Thecombination as in claim 6 including means for increasing the forcerequired to move said brake to said second position when a load isattached to said cable length.